Measuring device



July 11, 1950 F. wALLE-R 2,514,686

MEASURING DEVICE Filed Jan. 16, 1948A Fred Wa//er IN VEN TOR ATTORNEYS Patented July l1, 1950 UNITED STATES RAT EN T O FF ICE 2,514,686 MEAsURING DivloE VFred Waller, lHuntington Station, N. Y., assignor:

l1:0 Eastman KodalrCompany, Rochester, vN. Y., 'a corporation of New J erscyv Application January 16, 194`8,`Srial1No. 2,717'

4 claims. (ol. sei-s.)

Thisr invention relates to a measuring device an'dfmor'e4 particul'arly'toa device for measuring the variable'distance from-a iixed plane vto a relativelyy stable object, thee-arml of whichI is held against the object with'a uniform pressure.

In'. the custom-tailoring' industry', it Vis 'becom-f ing increasingly popularto take la `photographY of tliefcustomer to supplementthecustomaryfmeasurementsas a referenceat a later date when the coat'and/or pants 'ai'eactuaflly'being cut and 'put together; The Icustoiiiergis;usually-photographed Witlrafnumber of measuring 'tapes' placed around the Waist, chest` hips, etc.'y 'toiprovider a check for'the -cutter Whenthe suit is beingcut; At the present time, however, there nol satisfactory arrangement `for providing ameasurement of the' inseam of the pant leg which Will-appear inf'aV photograph a-s a check'against the-measurement as originally made.

The present' invention provides f-o'r a device which will give` the correct inseamfmeasurement and which necessitates no carefuladjustment or locking in thenal position' The customer is positioned on' ak platformwand straddles an 'arm Which is raised intov position toward the crotch. and which by means of a Weight is moved toward and 'heldi against.' the 'crotch with a uniform pres;- sure. A 'scale is xedfto the platformv and the member to which the arm is attached carriestan index member adjacent thescale so tha-t when thev arm has come vtorest,- the position of the-arm.v with respect to the-'b'ase'vvill be: indica-ted on the scale by the index member.v A-loeking means-is.l

provided to maintain the fixed and movable members ina collapsed position.

The primary object 'of lthe-invention,v therefore, is to provide avmeasuring"device-in. which the movable' member isY moved "and held inf'an-y position against the stableV object with. a uniform I pressure. y

Another object ofthe -invention is` tov provide a measuring` device invvhich a gravity means with in oneot the members moves the vmeasuring'arm toward the object and-holdsit thereagainst Withy And yet another objectsof the invention. isnto provide a measuring' device 'inwhich the scale is; fixed to th'esupportmember and the'index member -is Iattached 'to the' lower'end of the movableA includingy ia base-anda: vertical tubular exten- -siong atubula-rmemberincludingan arm extend-iV ing perpendicular to the axis of the tubular extension and anrindex member fixed to the lower. end and.' adapted to receive the tubular extension, and to Vbe: movablel therealong' in' telescoping reglation, a scalel'xedfto said support-memberadjacent'fsaid index member, means on said support` member for position-ingv said object with respect to said` tubular extension; means foriocking saidI tubularmember. to said tubular extension', and' 'a gravitymeans "includingia Weight with-in lsaid tubular extension;l and :operatively 'connected to saidj'tubula-rmember, said-'Weight exceeding the,

Weight of said tubular member, arm andgindex` membergzfor. movingand holding said arm against lsaid subjectfW-ith a; uniformpressure.

Reference isnovv made to the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference charactersI designatesimil-ar partsfand-Wherein:

Fig. 1 s isi asplantview -of the measuring device;

Fig. 2: isaI side elevation. partially in section..

showin'gfthe arrangementy of the Weight; within the verticalf-tubular extension;

Fig. A31-is -an'enlarged vertical section showingv thev arrangement for mountingthe Weight within.

Athe tubular*extensionA and the- 'locking arrange;--

mentv for.. holding the.A tubular -membersI in a col--l lapsedposition; y

Eig; 4` isa.=partialiside-. elevation showing the; arrangement of, the scale and index" VI-nenfiberf; f

y Fig.. 5 is-apartial side elevation inseCtiOn. tol show.- the; slot in` the4 tubular extension foru the The inside diameter of the tubular member I54 is enough larger than the outside diameter of the extension II so that when the extension II is inserted in the member I5, it is spaced theresecured thereto a fibre bushing `I6 which mainv tains the two tubes in spaced relation at one end CTI from The upper end of the extension IIl has 7 4 the cap I8, the nose 38 being held in the aperture 40 by the spring-biased plunger 42 in the hole 43 in the lower end of the cap I8. The lever 39 is provided with a nger piece 44 which extends below the arm 22, see Fig. 3, so that as the finger piece 44 is moved upwardly the nose 38 will be removed from the aperture 40 against the retaining action of the spring 45 and the plunger 42 to release the member I5 from the extension I I.

In order to position the object or subject with respect to the extension II and/or the arm 22, means in the form of arcuate extensions 46 of the `,base plate I3 are provided to receive the heels of in the collapsed position, and the member AI has a bre bushing I 'I xed to its lower end to maintain the tubes in spaced relation at the other'` end toward the arm 22 to release the nose 38 of the when in the collapsed position. This arrangement'permits easier movement of the member I51with respect to the extension II and eliminatesthe tendency for the tubes to bind as'they Would if in contact throughout their entire length.

This construction also permits telescoping of the' tubes to provide a compact structure. The upper end of the member I5 is provided `with a cap I8 which has a reduced portion I9 which is inserted in the end of the member I5 and a portion 2i! which is adapted to enter a, well 2'I in the arm 22. The cap I8 is securedto Vthe arm 22 and the member I5 in any well-known the axis of the extension II and the member I5.

The scale 23 is provided with graduations 24 and is secured to the bracket 25 which is xed to the base plate I3 by the rivets 26. From Fig, 4, it will be noted that the graduations commence with a iigure which is equivalent to the distance of the arm 22 from the plate I0 when in the fully collapsed or locked position, as shown in Fig. 2. The member I5 has the index member manner so that the arm and the tubular mem-k ber move as a unit. From Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the arm 22 extends perpendicular toA 2'I iixed to its lower end so that it lies adjacent 'A and slightly overlaps the scale 23. The index member 2'I is spaced from the member I5 by the block'V 28, both being held in position by the `screws 29.

A' ring 30 is secured to the extension I I'near the top thereof, see Figs. 2 and 3, by the screws 3| and is provided with a recess 32 in which the pulley 33 is mounted on the shaft 3,4 journaled in the ring. A cord 35 encircles the pulley 33 and has one end secured to the weight 36 within the `extension II and the other end secured to the lower end of the member I5, see Fig. 2. The extension II is provided 'with alongitudinal slot I5 -will move freely with respect to the extension I I when released therefrom.

The extension I I and the member I5 are locked together in the collapsed position by the nose 38` of the lever 39 engaging the aperture 40 in the extension II. The locking means or lever 39 is pivotally mounted in the L-shaped Slot 4I in the object. When the subject is positioned with his heels against the arcuate extensions 46 and straddling the arm 22, the finger piece 44 is moved lever 33 from lthe aperture 40 in the extension II. The weight 36' will then 'move downwardly and being connected to themember I5 will move it andthe arm 22 toward the crotch of the subject and will hold the arm 22 thereagainst with a uniform pressure irrespective of the height of the arm from the base I0. If desired, the member I5 and the arm 22 may be moved manually upon being released from the extension I I until it is relatively near the subjects crotch and at that point permit the weight 36 to move the arm the remaining distance toward the subject.

Since the index member 2'I'is xed to the member I5, it will move therewith and will denote on the scale 23 the correct inseam measurement because the scale 23 had been graduated to start with the figure or measurement of the arm 22 from the plate III. The scale 23 and the position of the index 21 will then appear in the photograph taken of the subject to give an additional reference which may be checked against the original measurement. The graduations 24 on the scale 23 may be corrected for taking into account the fact that the pant leg should not touch the base I0 but should be a certain fixed distance from the base I0 as is customary practice in the art of tailoring.

While the present invention is intended to be used inthe tailoring art,`it is conceivable that the device may be used in any one of many other f'elds where the distance between a iixed plane a nose, such as is found on various types of calipers to engage the object. The length of the I'extension Il and the member I5 may be varied in accordance with the length of the measurements to be made together with a corresponding U lhe only limitation change in the weight 35. upon the device being that the subject or object must be relatively stable,l since the arm 22 is moved thereagainst with pressure.'v Since other uses and modifications of the invention'are possible, the scope of the invention is not to be limited to the illustrated embodiment but isv dened bythe appended claims. l y i, l

Having now particularly described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what I claim is:

1. A device for measuring a variable distance drical sleeve including at one end thereof a hori- Zontal extension and movable from a fully tele-l .1 scoped position with respect to said cylindricalv member to a position in which said horizontal extension engages said object, and a counterweight contained Within said cylindrical member and operatively connected through said vertical slot to said sleeve for gravitationally biasing said horizontal extension against said object with a uniform pressure.

2. A device for measuring a variable distance from a fixed plane to a stable object comprising a base member, a hollow cylindrical member extending vertically from said base member and provided with a vertically extending slot, a vertical scale xed to said base member and spaced from said cylindrical member, a cylindrical sleeve including at one end thereof a horizontal extension and at the other end thereof an index member adjacent said scale and movable from a fully telescoped position with respect to said cylindrical member to a position against said object, and a counterweight contained Within said cylindrical member and operatively connected through said vertical slot to said sleeve for gravitationally biasing said horizontal extension against said object with a uniform pressure and for moving said index member along sald scale.

3. A device for measuring a variable distance from a xed plane to a stable object comprising a base member, a hollow cylindrical member extending vertically from said base member and provided with a vertically extending slot, a movable assembly including a cylindrical sleeve adapted to receive said cylindrical member and having at one end thereof a horizontal extension provided with a cavity and movable from a fully telescoped position with respect to said cylindrical member to a position in which said horizontal extension engages said object, a counterweight contained Within said cylindrical member and operatively connected through said vertical slot to said movable assembly for gravitationally biasing said horizontal extension against said object with a uniform pressure, and a locking means movably mounted within said cavity and comprising a locking portion adapted to engage said cylindrical member for maintaining said cylindrical member and said movable assembly in said fully telescoped position and a release portion extending outwardly from said assembly for manual release of said movable assembly to permit said counterweight to move said horizontal extension against said object.

4. A device for measuring a variable distance from a iixed plane to a stable object comprising a base member, a hollow cylindrical member extending vertically from said base member and provided with a vertically extending slot, a vertical scale xed to said base member and spaced from said cylindrical member, a movable assembly including a cylindrical sleeve adapted to receive said cylindrical member and having at one end thereof a horizontal extension provided with a cavity and at the other end thereof an index member adjacent said vertical scale and movable from a fully telescoped position with respect to said cylindrical member to a position in which said horizontal extension engages said object, a counterweight contained Within said cylindrical member and operatively connected through said vertical slot to said movable assembly for gravitationally biasing said horizontal extension against said object with a uniform pressure, and a locking means movably mounted within said cavity and comprising a locking portion adapted to engage said cylindrical member for maintaining said cylindrical member and said movable assembly in said fully telescoped position and a release portion extending outwardly from said assembly for manual movement to release said movable assembly to permit said counterweight to move said horizontal extension against said object and to move said index member along said sca e.

FRED WALLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 177,702 Ender May 23, 1876 2,126,517 Turpan Aug. 9, 1938 2,324,334 Sutton July 13, 1943 2,386,181 Bailey Oct. 9, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 433,461 France Oct. 27, 1911 481,529 Great Britain Mar. 14, 1908 883,352 France Mar. 22, 1943 

